Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the Moon; all eyes on Chandrayaan-3 now

Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, made an announcement about an unmanned spacecraft that aimed to achieve something remarkable: landing on the southern part of the Moon where scientists think there might be valuable frozen water and precious materials. This landing was initially planned for August 21. Unfortunately, on August 19, the spacecraft named Luna-25 faced difficulties and an unexpected situation, causing it to lose communication. The agency stated that the spacecraft’s path became unpredictable, and it ended up colliding with the Moon’s surface, leading to its destruction.

Russia's Luna 25 crash 2023
Russia’s Luna 25 crash 2023

In addition to this, India’s Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, is also attempting to land in the same southern area of the Moon. Its controlled descent was set to begin on August 23 at 5.45 pm IST.

The “Roscosmos” State Space Corporation, an organization representing Russia, holds responsibility for activities related to space travel, astronaut programs, and aerospace studies.

This Moon mission marked Russia’s first such endeavor since 1976, during the time of the Soviet Union. Among the governments of the world, only three have succeeded in landing on the Moon: the Soviet Union, the United States, and China. The scientific community is particularly interested in the southern pole of the Moon due to the belief that the dark polar craters could potentially contain frozen water within the rocks. If this turns out to be true, future explorers might be able to convert it into breathable air and fuel for rockets.